Carrot Cake

I've tried posting this before my birthday (April 12th), but my internet connection was acting up!! It seems like carrot cake is an International favorite, cause i have made this cake already 2x's in the past 2 weeks, and everyone seems to get so excited to eat it!
I have found this recipe from the website "Joy of Baking". Anyhow i know that there are a zillion recipes for making carrot cake but i must say this is a keeper in my recipe book; super moist, a good balance of flavor too, and its not a difficult recipe to follow. Along with this recipe came along another Cream Cheese Frosting recipe, which comes out a little different from the other one i posted previously. You will have to see which one you like the best!

Carrot Cake Ingredients:
1 cup Walnuts, toasted and chopped
2 1/2 cups Carrots, finely grated
2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Salt
1 1/2 Cinnamon
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 cup Oil, vegetable or canola
2 tsp Vanilla
*my added twist: ground Ginger and ground Nutmeg (1/2 tsp each) (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
1/4 cup Butter, softened
8 ounce package Cream Cheese
2 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
1 tsp Vanilla
finely grated lemon zest from 1 Lemon

Carrot Cake Method:

• Pre-heat oven 350 degrees, grease cake pan and put wax paper at the bottom.
  
• Take the walnuts, put onto baking pan, and bake in the oven (about 8min) till lightly toasted.
• Grate carrots, set aside (i use a food processor, much quicker).
  
• Combine in a medium bowl: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon (ginger and nutmeg optional)
• In another bowl, add the eggs and beat until frothy (about 1min) with mixer.
• Gradually add sugar to eggs (about 3-4min) continually with mixer.
  
• Add oil in a steady stream, than add vanilla to mixture.
• Add flour mixture to the egg mixture.
• Fold in Carrots and chopped walnuts.
• Bake about 30 minutes (depending on size of cake pan)
• Let cool before spreading the frosting onto cake
  

Cream Cheese Method:

• beat the butter and the cream cheese together with mixer, on low speed (no lumps)
• gradually add the sifted powdered sugar until smooth
• finally beat in the vanilla and lemon zest

Now spread this lovely frosting over the cake!!! Enjoy!!!

**p.s. the photo is from the website itself www.joyofbaking.com...sorry i didn't make a photo of my own. It shows a double layer cake, i just made a one layer cake, so u would divide the cake batter into 2 cake pans to make a double cake!